After the Dust Settles
by smilelaughread
Summary: Susan/Justin, Susan comforts and saves Justin, he has to find a way to thank her. HPFC forum challenge. Prompts were: Need, grave, settle, fate, ink, ... a subtle obsession... plus two quotes.


Justin was fighting, blindly shooting off spells and putting up shields. He could hear the sounds of fighting, but couldn't concentrate on anything but what he was doing. And then a new wave of Death Eaters appeared, and Justin froze in shock. He couldn't do this, he was going to die and have nothing to show for his life. He was going to be killed or cursed and left in the rubble for some animal or Death Eater to find and torture. He couldn't do this, he had to get out. His wand arm lowered and he slumped his shoulders in defeat. He closed his eyes, almost expecting someone to strike him dead right then and there.

They weren't in the centre of the battle anymore, but spells were still flying in all directions.

Justin felt a hand on his sleeve, a warm hand that attatched to an arm that belonged to his classmate and Housmate, Susan Bones.

She pulled him behind the remains of a wall, one that was crumbling but still upright. She looked him straight in the eye. "Justin Finch-Fletchley, you listen to me," her voice was soft, yet he couldn't help but notice that she spoke with power. "Don't be afraid of anything. Believe in Harry. Fight with all you have, because, after all, heaven's not behind the clouds, it's just beyond the fear. We can do this, just let go of that fear. We can get past this hell if we're brave enough. Watch my back, I'll watch yours. Let's win this war."

Justin nodded, Susan's wise and truthful words taking place somewhere in his heart. They stood and threw themselves into the fray, taking down Death Eaters left and right. They stood back-to-back so that no one could curse them from behind, and were successful in their attacks. Justin sustained an injury to his arm - thankfully not his wand arm - and he knew Susan had been hit by something from the pained grunts she occasionally let out. There was confusion and dust, and stress levels were flying high. When the Death Eaters retreated and everyone regrouped in the Great Hall, the two of them got separated. Justin had to go find his parents, and Susan had to go find a Mediwitch to help with her injury.

He couldn't find her after that; not when Voldemort proclaimed Harry Potter dead, not when it was apparant that Harry Potter had survived yet another killing curse, not when everything was finally over. There was panic that he knew was due to her abrupt disappearance and that she still wasn't back. Had she been hurt that badly? Did whatever she had been hit with kill her? Not her, anyone but Susan!

Weeks later, long after the dust had settled from the final duel, he finally saw her again. She had come to his parents' funeral, and had caught his eye from far away. He looked away, back to the graves being dug.

Both his mother and father had been struck down by Death Eaters in the war. He saw the tears running down her face and knew that she understood his pain. The chaos of the war was over, but the world was still far from calm. The Ministry was stuggling to regain control, and funerals were being organized for all the fallen fighters, his parents being two of many.

The thing that really got him was that he had been ready to give up. He had been about to throw caution to the wind and resign to his fate - to his death. And she had pulled him out of that way of thinking; she had helped him continue and had essentially saved him.

He had her to thank, otherwise he would be one more body being lowered into a grave in these dark days.

He stayed after everyone else left, spilling his tears over the freshly filled graves where his parents now lay. This war had killed them, and it could have killed him. But maybe that would have been better, because what was he meant to do now? He would return to Hogwarts - if it was rebuilt in time - and then what? He had nowhere to go, no one to come home to at the end of the year.

He heard soft footsteps approach him, and knew instinctively that it was Susan.

She proved yet again to be insightful and to be able to read his emotions, saying, "Life is a wretched, gray Saturday, Justin, but it must be lived through. You can help rebuild our world, make them proud. That's all you can do."

She sank down beside him, hugging him and letting him cry on her. If he wasn't mistaken, her tears were mixed in there as well.

After that, life did get better. He had nightmares, but everyone who had been in that battle did. He helped rebuild Hogwarts by donating money; he sold his parents' old house, not knowing what to do with a place that brought him so much pain. On September the first, he returned to a newly rebuilt Hogwarts, though the castle looked the same as it always had. That was a good sign, thought Justin. Things were beginning to settle down... finally. Hogwarts had that same thrum of old magic running through its walls. It brought him comfort, something that he had been painfully missing for a long time. It brought him comfort, even after the terror he had felt after seeing the thestrals for the first time.

The two Hufflepuffs - Susan and Justin - were reunited at Hogwarts, and soon enough everything was more-or-less back to normal - much to everyone's relief.

He developed a subtle obsession on his saviour: the strong-spoken, strong-willed, Susan Bones. It wasn't full-blown, but he found himself thinking of her and sometimes his eyes would seek her out in a crowd. They studied together, like they always had, and everything seemed like it had before the horrible war. He hadn't thanked her for saving him, for helping him, and it weighed heavily on his mind.

That was why one cold October evening, Justin was sitting in his dormitory gripping a quill in one hand and a bottle of ink in the other.

"Dear Susan... no, that won't do. Thank you, Susan? No." Justin crumpled up the fourth piece of parchment he had started writing on in the past ten minutes. He was frustrated and annoyed. Why couldn't the words just come to him? He had to thank her, he _needed_ to thank her. She had to know what a difference she had made with him. She had to hear from him how important she was.

"I can't just send a letter!" Justin threw his quill down on the table, splattering it with ink. He didn't care. "I have to talk to her, it's the only way." Justin couldn't help but mumble to himself, trying to make himself believe he could do this.

The letter was too impersonal, he had to speak with her face-to-face. She had to know that he was sincere, he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't know that she was one-hundred percent convinced.

A week passed, and October became November. He was no Gryffindor, and didn't have too much courage. He finally convinced himself to speak with her about it by telling himself that he had helped win a war; this was nothing to be worried about.

"Susan," he said as they studied in the Hufflepuff common room. People were stepping in and out of the room, getting ready for bed. "I need to tell you thank I really appreciate everything you did to help me... during the war."

Her eyes caught his and stayed there. They softened as she took in the meaning of his words. "Justin, don't worry about it. You're absolutely welcome. I couldn't just let you die!"

He moved closer to her and took her hands. He continued their eyes' connection, not once breaking the intense gaze they were sharing. "Susan, don't brush it off like it's nothing. I really only have you to thank for my survival."

Her cheeks grew pink.

He pulled her into a standing position and drew her into a tight hug. They swayed on the spot for some time, and then she pulled away a little. Susan pushed him into a sitting position on the table they had been working on and stepped in between his knees. She pressed a soft kiss against his lips, then did it again with more power.

When she pulled away again, her eyes had tears in them. She said, "I couldn't let one of the most important people in my life give up. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself. How would you feel if you could do something to stop a loved one from dying but didn't?"

Justin stared at her, dazed. "Y-you love me?"

"We've been friends for years, and somewhere along the way I fell for you. You're funny, intelligent, clumsy, and sometimes harder to handle than a dozen blast-ended skrewts. But you-you're always strong. Seeing you without your usual strength in the battle, it made me realize that I really do love you. I couldn't let you die."

They embraced once again. Neither said a word, but unspoken messages were sent between the two teens. The embrace was warm and comforting and both knew this was where they were meant to be.


End file.
